Life is still worthwhile, if you just
by Livingetc
Summary: Please send me any criticisms/comments because this is my first time putting something up on the site and I need all the tips I can get! Hope you enjoy! Livingetc xxx


**This Achele (Lea and Dianna) story does take a dark turn but it resolves in the end I based it on one of Dianna's tumblr quotes and thought I could play with time etc, and make an imaginary scenario out of it.**

**Please send me any criticisms/comments because this is my first time putting something up on the site and I need all the tips I can get! Hope you enjoy! Livingetc xxx**

Dianna and Lea are on a two weeks vacation from work and on the first week Lea goes to Hong Kong for a few days, to meet with some family friends (Alice and Brandon). It's February so it's fairly cold but the sun is shining none the less. Naturally they miss one another, but they exchange emails and call each other whenever they have a spare minute, they're in love and happy.

But both are unaware that one event, one night, could bring them closer than ever.

**_February 8th 2010_**

**_11:00 am LA Time._**

Morning Sweetie,

I woke up at 4.30 am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. On any normal day I'd say this happened for no apparent reason, but I know exactly why.

I couldn't sleep last night, so after counting my blessings almost a million times over I ended up just sitting up and staring out the window with a cup of camomile tea (don't worry, I used my own!) I don't know what time it was when I finally dozed off, but I can remember looking at the clock at 2:30 am and not feeling tired at all.

My mind just didn't want to go to sleep. I only had one thing on my mind, you. Typical, even when you're a thousand miles away you creep into my head ;)

Despite my lack of sleep I don't really feel too bad. But I miss you Lea, and I hope that it's as beautifully sunny there as it is here. When the sun pours in through the window, I think of you. I miss my routine of turning round every morning and seeing your gleaming smile, but I think I can just about survive for another four days ;)

You're probably not awake yet as I guess, as usual, you were glowing at the party last night. You deserve to sleep in today, as you are NEVER able to at home.

I love being on vacation, especially on days like these. So I'll be pottering around most of the day and I'll message you again this afternoon.

I know what your schedule is like so don't worry about replying.

Just one thing. You know my really fluffy grey sweater, have you seen it anywhere? I cannot get up without it and I do recall seeing a certain somebody wearing just yesterday….?

I love you beautiful.

Love and Hugs.

Dianna

P.S EAT SOMETHING THIS MORNING.

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**8.10 am Hong Kong Time.**_

DI!

So pleased to hear from you! Did you honestly think that I'd be asleep? Even late nights and vacations don't keep me from greeting the morn.

It's so good to hear from you! I was literally JUST thinking of calling you, but as per usual, you beat me to it

You are just too sweet, did I ever tell you that? ;) I met up with Alice and Brandon last night and I had a wonderful time. The food was exquisite and everybody was so kind. I just can't get over how caring everyone is. They're all looking out for me, but not patronizing, and they're always complimenting me and giving me gifts, but they aren't pushy. Although, the restaurant manager did get me to sing last night, but nobody crowded, they all just listened. There's such peace here, even in the people.

I can see the city from my room you know. The sun's been out almost the whole time I've been here, and it's not too cold either. You'd love it Di.

I spoke to Chris and Amber yesterday, and they're having an amazing time in London. We HAVE to go there together some time!

God, I miss you so much Dianna! But I really am enjoying myself here, and I've got so much yet to see.

I'm taking tons of photos, you'll be pleased to hear, but I have to confess that they won't be up to your standard I'm afraid.

Today I'm off to see the sights and then out to see a traditional opera, which I'm SO stoked for! I'm about to overflow with excitement for the rest of the trip. Tomorrow Brandon is taking me to Lantau Island to see the Giant Buddha, EEEP!

Sorry, enough about me. You doing okay?

Try and relax today, indulge yourself girl!

I love you more!

Say Hi to LA for me!

Huge Hugs.

Lea xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S About the sweater… I'm wearing it ;)

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**11:15 am LA Time**_

Well I was not expecting a reply that quickly!

Good to hear that you're having a good time lovely, and I'm glad that they're treating you well, you deserve it.

I knew you wouldn't be able to go on vacation without getting up on stage at least once, child star ;)

The sun is officially calling me to go and bask in it so I'm going to let you go and have some breakfast (and I don't just mean coffee). I think I'll set off with my camera down to the park and see what becomes of the day from there. I do love this weather!

I've got my cell so just call me if you need, but we'll probably talk this evening when you get back from l'opera!

Loads of love.

Di xxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S Should've guessed ;)

Lea goes out for the day with Brandon and gets heavily immersed in her daily activities. Dianna sets out for the park where she gets as equally immersed in the activity that pleases her most. She then returns with some beautiful photos that she originally decided to post on tumblr… but instead she waits for a bit to edit them, get then just perfect, and just posts one of her favourite quotes instead.

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**4.30 pm LA Time.**_

"**I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle! If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"**

**Lewis Carroll**

Dianna then decides to call Naya to see if she's free tonight and they plan to meet for dinner at a pizza at Naya's at 7.30 pm.

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**1:55 pm Hong Kong Time.**_

Just dropped into an internet café because I just HAD to send you this picture of the Buddha. It was incredible Di. Saw your Tumblr, good old Alice, I guess you're down your own rabbit hole with your photographs, so I'll call you later ;)

Hope you're having a great day.

Lea xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**5:00 pm LA Time**_

I know we'll talk this evening but I _had_ to reply because it was such a beautiful pic, truly amazing.

Are you stalking my tumblr again…? Hehe, I swear Lewis Carroll wrote that book about me, although, I must say that I've never had a chance to drink tea with a mad hatter, but I guess that's yet to come ;)

I'm meeting Naya tonight for dinner, so I'm off to take a nap now, I'm so tired… I wonder whose fault that is ;)

Love you gorgeous, and I will call you around 7.30 pm your time.

Di xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**2.10 pm Hong Kong Time.**_

OK sweetie, talk later, can't wait!

Lea xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's now 7:35 pm LA time and Dianna hasn't arrived at Naya's yet, and she presumes she's stuck in traffic. Ten minutes go by and Naya hasn't heard anything from Dianna so she calls her on her cell.

Dianna would NEVER leave her cell at home, she thinks.

She tried again and can hear the phone ring but there's no response, so she waits and tries again, but yet again, no response. She checks she's got the right number and tries again, in vain. She then tries the apartment phone but it doesn't even ring.

Naya starts to worry so rings Lea, aware that she's in Hong Kong. In typical Naya fashion, she slams her phone down on the couch in frustration as Lea fails to answer her phone. "Has the whole world left their phone at home?" she exclaims.

It is 4.40 pm Hong Kong time and Lea is still roaming around Hong Kong with Brandon searching for a present for Dianna. The noise level would be unbearable for any other tourist, but she feels at home with the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong life.

She doesn't hear her phone ring in her purse.

It is now 8:15 pm LA time and Naya has rang everyone she can possibly think of who would know what had become of Dianna. She even rang Ryan to see if he'd asked her to come in for a quick recording or something annoying like that. Naya is now panicking so gets her car keys and heads for Dianna's place to see if everything's okay. The traffic is a nightmare but she sticks through it, hoping that if Dianna is stuck in traffic then she might meet her on the way…. Wishful thinking.

She tries the apartment again, and the phone still doesn't make a sound.

"So much for a security system" she thinks.

It will take her at least an hour and a half to get to Dianna's. It takes longer than she thought.

It's now 9.10 pm LA time and Naya's about a half an hour away from Dianna and Lea's apartment. She has called Dianna's cell twenty times now. Every scenario possible runs through her head, and she is lost at what to think has become of her friend.

6:20 pm Hong Kong time, Lea arrives home and checks her emails. She does not bother replying to Dianna's email as she knows she is out and will call her pretty soon anyway, so she sits down with some herbal tea and attempts to interpret a Chinese sitcom.

As the show ends her phone buzzes. She dives off the sofa to her purse thinking that it was a message from Dianna, when she looks down and sees '15 missed calls from Naya', she is somewhat confused. Then she comes to the conclusion that Dianna (though highly unlikely) left her cell at home and is using Naya's. "But it's too early for her to call" she thinks. Never the less, she makes herself some more tea, relaxes down on the couch and calls Naya back.

It is 6:50 pm Hong Kong time, 9.50 pm LA time.

Just as she is about to do so Naya calls her.

'Typical' she says.

Lea answers, "Why hello beautiful! I have to say, it's not like you to leave your cell at home but I'll for give you this once. How's dinner –",Naya stops her mid sentence, mouth dry and tension in her voice. "Lea listen! I've been trying to get hold of you for almost three hours now! Where have you been?" "It's been so loud here, I went out for the day. Are you alri- ". Lea hears Naya's voice crack and a quiet sob break through. She frowns, puzzled and panicked. "Wait, what is it? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Naya struggles to breathe properly through sniffs and gasps. She manages to clumsily spurt out: "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…." She can't carry on, tears mixed with eye make up stream down her face and an uncontrollable sobbing overpowers her. She is forced to swallow so as to get her words out. The service is bad so everything echoes down the phone. Lea's confused and worried, she doesn't know what to think, but tries to keep a lid on things. "Naya, sweetie, what is it? Tell me." Naya replies, almost too fast. "There's been a fire." The words come out distorted and interrupted by sniffs. She's a mess, her hair in her face, congealed mascara covering her cheeks, she is shaking and she has to sit down. A crowd has formed and it's too overwhelming.

Lea replies, "Where, in your house? Oh my god, Naya are you okay?" Lea finds it difficult to hear properly as there are so many voices speaking at once on Naya's end of the phone, shouts, screams, calls, from men and women. Naya replies in the same strained tone as before but this time slowly, pacing herself: "I'm fine Lea, it's….. not me…. it's…it's…. it's Dianna!" Lea stops breathing, and the noises on Naya's end of the phone disappear Everything around her turns silent, the cars outside, the city. She frowns and tries to say something back but her mouth is dry, she cannot move. Her eyes well up and she forces herself to speak. "Where is she? What happened?" Her voice gets higher and higher and her cheeks go from hot red to snow white.

"Are you alright ma'am", proclaims a man on Naya's end of the phone. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Can you just tell me if you find anything" comes Naya's quiet, strained voice. "Of course, you just stay there okay". Lea, now losing the will to think logically almost yells at Naya in panic. "What happened Naya? Please!" Naya breathes out swiftly and swallows, preparing herself. She speaks slowly, gasping slightly on a few words. "There's been a fire, Lea, in yours and Dianna's apartment block. I'd been trying to call her since 7.30 on her cell and she never picked up. So I tried to call you and there was no response, then I tried the apartment phone and it didn't even ring. I started to worry so I decided to drive out here, but there was traffic and took a while. As I came up round the corner I could hear so much noise. People were running down the street. I pulled up to your apartment and all I could see was a mass of flames everywhere, the whole block was burning. I ran out the car right up to the door and looked up and I could see your apartment, the window. I screamed her name, I screamed for Dianna but –" She couldn't finish, her emotions took over and she cried like a child.

Lea collapses on the couch, her own emotions running in circles. Neither spoke for about 10 seconds, just sobbing and quiet gasps could be heard. Then Naya calmly adds, " They're tackling it, best they can. They've got people ready and some men have gone in….Lea?" Lea is so lost in her own wild conclusions of what could have happened, that she ends up saying them out loud: "How did she not hear it? We have a smoke alarm, and she's not stupid, she wouldn't just sit there, in the middle of a fire, for god's sake! Where the fuck is she? Why the hell didn't she ring me?" Lea is angry and hysterical at the same time. She can't see sense of the situation. Then she remembers the email. Dianna said she was going to have a nap before she went out. Dianna must have been asleep when the fire started and… the rest can't bear thinking about. She tells Naya this. Naya replies: "They said they'd tell me when they find something. I'm so sorry Lea, it's my fault. I should've rang her before, I should've offered to drive and pick her up…" Lea attempts to reassure her friend: "Calm down, Naya. Just stay there and watch okay? It's not your fault, you hear me? Just concentrate on the firefighters." Naya mimes 'Okay' through her tears. Lea begins to sob once more and grabs a tissue, wipes her face, then clings onto a cushion with all her strength. They both stay on the phone, in silence, waiting, hoping, praying for a miracle to happen.

**10 minutes later.**

"Call an ambulance Tommy! We got someone, quick!"

Both girls jump up. Lea is the first to dare to speak, "Is …it …. Her? Naya….. is it Dianna?" Her voice is a whisper. She shuts her eyes tight and silently repeats "please be her" over and over. She tenses her free fist and curls into a ball on the couch again.

Naya runs frantically through the crowd, getting as close as she can, pushing her way past. She gets to the front and stands there, phone still at her ear. She updates Lea, eyes transfixed on the, half burning, building: "He hasn't come down yet, but the fire's nearly out. Please God, please", she whispers.

The ambulance arrives within minutes and there is a roar of chattering again. Naya's eyes are still fixed on the open doors of the block. "please" she repeats, "please".

A blue outline can be seen from where Naya is standing. It's difficult to see, but it gets closer and closer. As it slowly emerges out of the smoke, a tall blue figure with a person in his arms can be seen. Naya stares and then recognises the figure as the fire fighter who had spoken to her before. As soon as the man comes out of the haze, Naya runs up to him. A fire fighter tries to stop her but her 'friend' calls out to say that it's alright. The crowd falls silent with anticipation. People gather closer and closer but the fire fighters signal for them to keep back. The girl is unconscious but breathing. Her stomach turns and she slows down, not sure whether she wants to see the person or not. She tells Lea what she is doing then lowers the phone from her ear. The fire fighter walks up to her, carefully holding the person. It is obvious now that the person in his arms is in fact a woman, but Naya is still not sure. Paramedics are moving around in the background preparing the ambulance etc. As the man moves closer she can see black hair fall over his arm and she frowns, it's not her, she thinks. At this, she runs up to the man, she can't believe that it can't be Dianna, she needs confirmation. She brushes the dark hair out of the girl's dirty face. She takes one look at the girl and tears of joy stream down her face. "Oh my God!" is all she can say. She lifts the phone back up to her ear and, breathing deeply, tells Lea.

Lea lets out a cry of relief and then starts to sob again heavily. "Thank God!" is all she can say through her tears.

The paramedics put the girl on a bed and into the ambulance while Naya thanks the fire fighter.

Naya says to Lea quickly: "It's okay, I'll go with her to the hospital. I'll call you when I get there. Love you." "Okay, love you too. Take care of her for me, yeah?", replies Lea, relaxing a bit. "Of course. Bye."

Lea gets the next flight out from Hong Kong, explaining everything to Alice and Brandon, who take her to the airport.

_**February 8th 2010**_

_**5.30 am LA time.**_

Lea is in the hospital ward with Naya, each holding one of Dianna's hands. Dianna's right arm has been burnt and there is a bandage on it. She has not woken up yet and has an oxygen mask on.

Dianna had fallen asleep at around 5.15 pm LA time and gotten into a very deep sleep. There were some kids on the floor above who were smoking and had left their lighters outside their apartment. A little girl picked up the lighter and started to play with it. She managed to light it herself but got scared so dropped it and ran out of the building. The fire spread across the whole of that floor and above, but Dianna was in such a deep sleep that she failed to even feel the heat of it. She didn't hear her cell phone ring and by this time the apartment phones had been disconnected because of the blaze.

People evacuated the block and knocked on Dianna's door, but when they got no reply they presumed she was out.

Dianna woke up around 8.00 pm and the whole of her apartment was engulfed in flames. She was drowsy and had inhaled so much smoke that she simply collapsed back down on the bed. Her arm was draped over the side of the bed and got burnt but not too badly. The fire was partially put out but there were still burning coming form Dianna and Lea's apartment. The fire fighter who saved her life came in just as she could have been completely engulfed in flames and saved her life.

Suddenly, Lea feels Dianna's fingers grip her hand. She looks up to see Dianna blinking wearily and starting to breathe deeply. When Dianna gains full consciousness she begins to breathe faster in panic. Lea stands up and kisses her forehead. "Sweetie, it's okay, it's okay", she whispers. She closes her eyes as her lips linger on the blonde's skin, not sure whether this gesture was in relief or just overwhelming love. She strokes Dianna's hair as she holds her in her arms. Naya is still holding onto her other hand. Tears fill Lea's eyes, but she does not sob, just one small tear trickles down her face and she smiles, that beautiful smile, that Dianna wakes up to every morning, the smile that Dianna missed so much, the smile that kept her awake that night.

Dianna closes her eyes as she realises why she is here. It all floods back into her mind and she starts to cry but Lea carries on holding her tight and comforts her. Dianna tries to talk but struggles to find the words in between her tears. Lea just carries on stroking her hair hugging her. A nurse comes in and removes Dianna's oxygen mask. She breathes a sigh of relief. Lea steps back from her and holding her, now clean, face in her hands stares into her beautiful hazel eyes.

Naya breaks the silence in her typical fashion: " Well that was one hell of a night, talk about being down the fucking rabbit hole!", her sarcasm is appreciated, as both the girls know that this is how the Latina expresses herself best.

Dianna blinks slowly and smiles a bit. A laugh, which sounds more like a sigh, escapes from her limp body. 'Thank God Lea's here' is all she thinks.

Lea speaks, as though replying to Dianna's last thought, "the only thing that matters is that you are safe now. God, I thought I almost lost you for a second. You must have some angels up there you know!" Dianna is now sitting up, although her body is sore and exhausted.

Dianna replies, taking her time but trying to be as confident as can: "well … I've got you, you were….. all …..I was ….. thinking of when…." The tears roll down her porcelain cheeks and she grabs Lea's waist and embraces her tightly. They stay in this position for a while, Lea simply stroking Dianna's hair and kissing the top of her head. Naya lets go of Dianna's hand and decides to step out of the room to give them some time together.

Finally, Lea pulls away from Dianna and speaks: "I'm here now, okay? We're together now. I love you Dianna, I'll always love you." Her eyes well up again but this time there are now tears, just a smile and Dianna relaxes more, lying down. The glow of Lea's smile will forever leave a mark on Dianna's heart, the smile that haunted her nights and caused her to need a nap during the day ;)


End file.
